OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONAL GROWTH THROUGH EXPERTISE DEVELOPMENT

Jukka Meriheinä, IT Development Director at Atria Finland, was one of the Atria employees who participated in the first Atria Growth Engine programme in 2024. The programme continued in a second round, which started at the end of 2025. Jukka says that joining the programme felt like a natural way to develop his skills, and it offered new perspectives at the same time.

At Atria, the AGE programme is one channel for fostering innovation. “The programme implements innovation projects related to areas that are central to Atria’s strategy and future. These projects are carried out in multinational teams with participants from all parts of Atria Group,” Jukka explains. In the programme, the participants were divided into groups of four to five people. The topic addressed by Jukka’s group was the commercialisation of sustainability.

Finally, the projects were presented to the Atria Group Management Team. Jukka mentions that the participants included members of the legal department, IT, sales and product development, which provided a diverse mix of perspectives. “For me, it was particularly important to become involved in developing projects that were important to Atria and to interact with other Atria employees. Of course, personal growth and learning are also major motivating factors in the programme,” Jukka observes.

The programme dealt with matters with which we may be less familiar through our everyday work. Jukka’s team approached their topic through design thinking and by placing consumers’ wishes and needs at the heart of the design work, for example. Jukka emphasises the importance of developing and expanding one’s own competence, as a curious and proactive attitude is required in the evolving technological and operating environment. Jukka’s personal goal is to stay at the forefront of development. “I believe that developing your own skills is the responsibility of every employee. Fortunately, Atria offers opportunities and support for continuous learning,” Jukka says.

HARNESSING AI WITH COPILOT PATHFINDER

At Atria, we are also developing our expertise in the field of artificial intelligence. The goal of the Copilot Pathfinder programme is to enable the seamless use of artificial intelligence at work. From a broader Atria perspective, this means working more efficiently and finding ways to make better use of data, for example. Training employees and increasing the understanding of artificial intelligence across the organisation contribute to Atria’s goal of developing the use of artificial intelligence in business processes.

All Atria employees working in knowledge-based roles are offered basic training in the use of artificial intelligence. The Pathfinder programme deepens the participants’ expertise and explores how to exploit the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence more practically, with a focus on each employee’s daily tasks.

The first Pathfinder round has been completed, and the second is underway. Going forward, the goal is to share participants’ experiences and results more widely within the organisation, thereby increasing inspiration and knowledge. The programme has been built in cooperation with Atria's IT and HR.